Tips for Flatbed Drivers – Restorative Sleep While Over the Road

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Quality sleep is extremely important to a flatbed truck driver’s health and wellness.  Everything you do during your waking hours is dependent on a good night’s sleep. Below we will detail some ways you can ensure that you get the best night’s sleep possible while over the road.

Physical Comfort

It is important that when you sleep, you are comfortable. There are many things to consider when preparing yourself for sleep.  You should invest in a quality pillow.  It has been proven that neck pain leads to headaches, back pain and is otherwise distracting.  Keep your sheets clean and fresh as well.  Also, taking showers just before bed will relax your muscles and help you sleep better.  Some drivers also find portable fans, or heaters in the winter, help to circulate air and drown out noise from neighboring trucks.  Noise machines are also popular.  But the overall goal is the same – get comfortable.

You Snooze, You Lose

As a flatbed truck driver, you keep irregular working hours, and therefore irregular sleeping schedules.  Hitting snooze repeatedly will make you more tired than if you get up the first time.  It prolongs the jump start on the day and sets the stage to keep being sluggish.  Stretch really well, and get up promptly.  If you feel the need to continue hitting snooze, it is a sign that you either needed more sleep, or you needed deeper sleep.  One is a scheduling issue, the other is an environmental issue.

Taking Full Length Breaks

It is important that you are diligent about your off duty or sleeper berth time.  Not only are these times regulated by federal hours of service laws, but they are necessary in order to keep you safe during your working hours.  Schedule yourself in such a way that you are definitively away from duties associated with working, for the complete duration of your break.

No Naps at the Wheel

And lastly, a wise truck driver once said, “Never find the most comfortable way to sit in your driver’s seat.  A cat nap habit while waiting at the shipper seems innocent until it’s late at night and you’re driving down a boring road.  If you are tired enough for a nap, you are tired enough to park the truck.” Please share with us below, any and all tips you have for ensuring that you get the most restful sleep possible during your time over the road.